By Andrew Starke
The cider category remains the darling of the Australian liquor industry with the category recording new gains, largely at the expense of the RTD market.
Roy Morgan research estimates number of cider drinkers in Australia is 676,000 up 95 percent from the estimated 347,000 when the RTD tax was introduced in 2008.
These results came from the August 2010 Roy Morgan Liquor Consumption Survey.
In an average four week period during 2010, 4 percent of Australians aged 18 years and over, an estimated 676,000 people, consumed cider, up from 2.2 percent in the year to April 2008.
There has also been an increase in the number of people drinking spirits (from 24.1 percent to 26.9 percent) as consumers responded to the RTD tax by mixing their own drinks at home.
Unsurprisingly one category to show a significant decline in this period was the RTD or ‘alcopop’ category which dropped from 16.3 percent to 13.6 percent.
“Cider represents a great success story in the Alcohol market,” Roy Morgan Research industry director, George Pesutto.
“We have seen a consistent increase in the number of cider drinkers particularly in the last half of 2009 which continued in 2010.
“This category demonstrates the benefit of diversifying the product offering to attract new consumers. This category has many brands both new and new to the Australian market with diverse brand propositions that are attracting consumers from wine and beer as well as RTD consumers.”
For more information on this research, click here.